In Cox’s Bazar, many have turned to the scrap business as a livelihood. Although the number of locals in this trade is relatively low, people from different districts have engaged in it for years, particularly hawkers who found new opportunities here.
Scrap shops almost entirely recycle plastic, polythene, and other non-biodegradable materials that once littered the environment and contributed to pollution.
Several scrap shops have sprung across Cox’s Bazar, especially in places like Khurushkul, creating employment opportunities for many. Poor and underprivileged adolescents collect discarded plastic items scattered across the city and sell them to these scrap shops. Recyclers then process the collected items.
Every day, impoverished, unemployed individuals and street children gather old plastic bottles, cans, discarded paper, medicine cartons, and other waste materials from morning to evening. By selling these to scrap shops, they earn money, improving their financial condition and gradually becoming self-reliant.
As a result, plastic waste is no longer polluting the environment. Instead, it transforms into a resource that boosts the economy and creates numerous employment opportunities. This initiative is not only addressing environmental concerns but also paving the way for social and economic upliftment.
By Mohammad Morshed
Photo: Hussain Shetu
